This poem was written in the hope that it will point out the fact that the majority of those societies which celebrate December Twenty-Fifth as the birthday of the Master Jesus, the Christ, are too often losing sight of the true nature and Spirit of the holiday. The focus tends to be more on the material aspects of the season rather than on the Spiritual. Hopefully the poem will help us to see some things a bit differently.
A day is fast approaching
That we see just once a year.
It comes December Twenty-Fifth,
I'll say for all to hear.
We do a lot of shopping first
And spend a lot of cash
Or some folks just say "Charge-it"
In the hope their cash will last.
All the frantic buying then,
They say, does lots of good.
The economy of our Country smiles
When we spend like we "should".
The merchants love this time of year.
You know why they all do.
But does "the bottom line" make the world go 'round
For your family and you?
I think if we considered things
The way we really should,
We'd reach some new conclusions; yes,
I'm almost sure we would.
After all, the day that comes,
The day of which we speak,
Is one that we should think about
All year, not just that week.
It's a day that means much more to us
Than gifts or mistletoe;
It's a day to give a lot of thought
To the way our lives should go.
Should we pursue a life that dwells
Too much on what we own,
Or maybe getting even more;
Take out another loan?
Or should we set our sights for life
On reaching higher goals,
Like trying hard to get our name
Put down on Angel's rolls?
There is a fine example of
A life that we might try
To live just like, the best we can,
Or know the reason why.
The life I mentioned, as a life
To follow when we can,
Was lived out many years ago
In a very distant land.
The name of Him who lived it then
Was Jesus, you may know.
He lived that life so perfectly,
Two thousand years ago.
He told us "even greater things",
Were things that we could do.
And He didn't mean just certain folks,
He spoke of me and you.
So to honor and remember Him
We set aside that day;
The date, December Twenty-Fifth,
To remind us in that way
Of the day that He was born,
And of the life He led,
The way He hung upon that cross,
The way He slowly bled.
He truly gave up life that day
To show us all, that we
Should give our lives up too, for God
Though not so literally.
To serve and worship Him each day
In one way or another,
To see each woman and each man
As Sister and as Brother.
To do our best to do away
With hunger and with pain,
To see that no child goes to bed
While hungry, yet again.
To change this world so all its folks
Will live in such a way,
That we seek God first in every thing,
And each day is Christmas Day!